KONI: Papua XX PON Preparation Experiences Not Light But Can Be Overcome Constraints

Chairman of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) Marciano Norman attended the opening of the PON (Photo: screenshot of the Presidential Secretariat YouTube)

JAKARTA - The chairman of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) Marciano Norman said that the preparation of the XX Papua National Sports Week (PON) had not been easy. However, he made sure all the problems had been handled properly.

"The preparation of PON XX Papua has encountered various obstacles that are not light. Among them are the preparation of infrastructure for the competition and it is held at this difficult time. However, the obstacles can be overcome well although there are still some minor shortcomings," said Marciano when submitting a report on the implementation of PON XX. Papua as shown on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Saturday, September 2.

He said the opening of the PON is also clear evidence that any problems faced can be overcome if all parties help each other. "And willing to be part of the solution," said Marciano.

Marciano also hopes that the success of the Papua PON can be used as a momentum for the revival of Indonesia's sports achievements and the rise of the nation from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, he explained that the 2021 PON XX Papua will be attended by 34 contingents from 34 provinces in the country with a total of 6,116 guest athletes and 923 Papuan host athletes.

Marciano said there were 37 sports being competed, consisting of 56 disciplines and 681 match numbers. The athletes competed for 681 gold and silver medals and 877 bronze medals, respectively.

"The implementation is spread across four clusters including Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Mimika Regency, and Merauke Regency," he said.

"There are 45 venues that are used with national standards and even some with international standards, including the Lukas Enembe Stadium which is used for the opening ceremony of PON XX 2021 and will end on October 15, 2021," he added.

In addition, Marciano also reported the temporary standings of the most medal winners in this event. He said, there are a number of sports that have started competing since September 22.

"It is reported that the match has started on September 22, 2021 with the temporary standings of medals until before the current opening, namely the first DKI Jakarta Province 28 gold medals. Second Papua Province 17 gold medals, third West Java Province 11 gold medals," said Marciano.

"It is hoped that PON will not only be successful in its achievements but also successful in implementation, administrative success, economic success, and post-PON success," he said.